Tea party on IRS scrutiny: Government did us a favor

Published: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 2:23 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 2:23 p.m.

Far from being outraged that the IRS has singled out tea party groups for scrutiny, North Florida tea party leaders say they feel vindicated by the agency's efforts.

Tea party presidents in Ocala, Gainesville and Jacksonville say the controversy proves what they've been saying all along — that the federal government has grown too powerful and has no qualms about using its power to silence political dissension.

"They validated our purpose," said Stephen Hunter, president of Tea Party Solutions in Ocala. "Like we say, the good thing about Obama is that he awakened the country to what's going on in our government."

"Even though I hate to see it happening, what it does is illustrate that the government will stop at nothing for its own gain," said Laurie Newsom, president of the Gainesville Tea Party. "It illustrates that no one, not corporations or other entities, has police power. When the government starts going rogue, it's a problem, because they have resources for controlling the people that no one else has."

IRS officials have acknowledged that organizations applying for tax-exempt status during the 2012 election season were singled out for extra scrutiny if they had "tea party" or "patriot" in their titles. The agency has apologized and insisted the practice was not politically motivated.

Tea party leaders scoff at such suggestions.

Hunter said his group foresaw this and didn't apply for tax-exempt status like some other tea party groups.

"We knew that there were restrictions on what you could do, and if you didn't adhere to them you could have the government come in and audit you and tell you what you can and can't do," he said.

First Coast Tea Party in Jacksonville was one of the groups that drew IRS scrutiny.

Executive Director Leanne King said shortly after First Coast applied for tax-exempt status in 2010, the IRS sent a letter demanding answers to questions about the group's activities, along with documentation of its efforts.

King said the IRS was trying to determine whether the First Coast Tea Party was political in nature, or whether, as the group contends, its mission was based on education and advocacy.

The letter asked whether the group endorsed political candidates. But it also asked for documentation of all its events, past and future, and copies of all its literature, along with detailed accounts of the speeches made at its events over time, among other things.

King said the group enlisted volunteers to gather all the documentation required, and had to put it together in three weeks at the insistence of the agency.

"We sent four pounds of paper off in response to their questions," she said. "Then they sent another letter asking for clarification and we sent off another pound of paper. We were thinking that this is such a drain on the organization, which is made up of volunteers anyway. So you wonder whether they were just trying to throw us off our focus during the election season, but we didn't allow that to happen."

First Coast Tea Party received its tax-exempt status on Nov. 18, 2012, 18 months after it first applied, King said.

King said the agency inquiry has strengthened the group's cause.

"I told someone that we really need to be thanking President Obama for this because the tea party has finally gained some legitimacy," she said. "I'm disappointed in the direction this country's going, but I'm glad this is coming to a head now."

Pam Dahl, president of the Tri-County Tea Party in Oxford, south of Ocala, called the IRS inquiries "threatening."

"To me, that's just discrimination," she said, adding that her group didn't get one of the IRS letters. "It's uncalled for. The questions they were asking had nothing to do with paying taxes."

Tea party leaders acknowledge they have strong political views but insist those views are non-partisan. While they routinely call out politicians by name and blast government policies, they avoid endorsing candidates for election and don't support political campaigns monetarily, they say.

Much of their effort is also directed toward what they call educational efforts. The tea parties often hold forums on topics like the U.S. Constitution and government history, for instance, almost always to illustrate how governments have strayed from the principles outlined in the Constitution.

"We're not anti-Democrat and we're not anti-anything," said Hunter, of Tea Party Solutions in Ocala. "We also don't support the Republican Party just because it's the Republican Party. We're probably one of the biggest critics of the Republican Party because they say one thing and then do another. In fact, the Democrats are probably more honest because they do what they say they're going to do, even though it's un-American."

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